Copy-holder.



S. T. SMITH.

COPY HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1914.

Patented-Nov. 7, 1916.

' a: a ar "1. 51%?" OFFIGE.

STEPHEN T. SMITH, F STAMFORD; CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T0 UNDERWOOD TYPE-' WRITERCOMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION DELAWARE.

COPY-HOLDER.

Application filed May 8, 1914. Serial No. 837,146.

, To all whom it may concern.-

stitute an inverted box to fold down within Be it known that I, STEPHEN T. SM1TH, a citizen of the United States, residing 1n Stamford, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Copy-- Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to copy holders, and

particularly to those which are adapted torest upon a desk or table.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a copy holder which is stable in use so as not to be subject to undue vibration from' the operation of a typewriting or other machine to which the copy holder may be an adjunct; to produce, a device whichwill not be noisy nor liable to be accidentally overturned, and which may, by simple means, be instantly adjusted to any one of a series of working positions, wherebythe operator may conveniently adjust the .copy holder to the desired angle; also to produce a copy holder having some or all of these advantages, nd which can be readily reduced to small compass for convenience in transportation or storing; and further to produce a device of this class which w'ill be' inexpensive, and which may also, if occasion.

at one end tQSilld base so as to be readily liftable toform a copy-holding plate, board A or table; this plate preferably having at its sides and top down-turned flanges for stiffness, and neatness, and said flanges being of a size and position to fit between the sides and ends of the box or base when the device is folded together. Inother words, the base may constitute one box and the copy-holding plate, which is hinged thereto, may conthe base box.

An arm is hinged to the copy-holding plate, and may be swung to different positions to hold the copy-holding plate, board or table at different angles; a rack being provided on the base to be engaged by said leg when required, thereby to sustain the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7, 1916.

- copy-holding plate in an desired position.

Said arm may be in the orm of a bail, and

said rack may be in the form of ears struck up from the body of the base at opposite sides thereof to; be engaged by said bail.

When the device is collapsed or folded, thev the baili The bottom of the base may bemuflied by a layer of felt,' and this layer may cover the holes left in the base by striking up said lugs therefrom.

There is also preferably provided at the bottom of the copy+hold1ngplate a ledge upon which the copy may rest; the ledge preferably having a roughened surface for the copy to rest upon. This ledge may be hinged upon the same plate that'hinges the copy plate to the base, whereby the ledge may be folded up upon the copy plate so as not to project-when the-latter is folded down into-the base box.

\ Other features andfa'dvantage's will hereinafter appear. In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of my improvedv copy holder, in extended position for use.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device, as closed. Fig-3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the hinged portion of the device. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting portions of the base. and

copy-holding plate. members of the device, and the ledge, showing these members disassembled. Fig. 5 is a partial se'ctionalview of the bin ed portion of the device, with the corrugate ledge-extended, for use and Fig:

6 is a sectional view of a modified base coverlng.

As premised, the device which is the subject of this invention consists essentially of a her which will support theentire structure in a stable manner to the end that it may copy-holding member having a base mem.

not be influenced through the vibrations arising from the operation of a typewriting machine when standing upon a type writer desk for use in conjunction with the machine. Said base member may consist of a flat plate 1 with side walls 2, front end wall 3 and rear end wall 4. The bottom of .plate 1 -may be covered with felt or other soft material .5, capable of holding snugly to a desk or table surface orother support, and to prevent vibrations, which may be communicated to support from the operation of a typewriting machine carried thereby, from creating objectionable noise, and from disturbing the copy. This bottom covering of soft material may for convenience be in form of a thin sheet of stiff material 6, covered with baize or thelike, as at 7, (see Fig. 6), said sheet being secured to the bottom of plate 1 as by fastenings 8. p

The copy holder iscomposed of a plate 9 having side walls 10 and 'rear end wall 11,

being pivoted .at the forward ends of its side walls 10 to the forward ends of side walls 2' of the base member, as by stub shafts 12, forming a hinged engagement between said base member and copy holder. The width of the copy holder is less than the width of the base member, that the walls of the for mer may nest within the walls of the latter, in closing, thereby saving .space and enabling said hinged members, when folded together, to form a closed receptacle for sheets of paper or other supplies.

Pivoted in bosses 13 secured to the side walls 10 of the copyholder member, in opposed relation, are the out-turnedends 1 4 of bail arms15 whose opposite ends merge into a transverse bail 16, capable of folding snugly against the inner surface of the copy holder, or of extending outwardly to find lodgment upon the inner surface of the base member to thereby support the copy holder in an upward position.

To provide such lodgment for the bail .there may be a rack upon the inner surface of plate 1 and I have provided a suitable rack by striking inwardly from the material of said plate, two opposite series of lugs 17, the inclination of the incisions which result in the production of the lugs being inwardly and forwardly from lines parallel with the sidewalls 2, whereby said lugs, from the process of their production form forwardly inclined teeth which arrestthe bail 16 in the various set positions occupied by opposed pairs of said lugs, to thereby sustain the copy holder member in any desired angle of adjustment for the convenience of the user.

'llhe lugs 17 are arrangedsuficiently near to their'respective walls 2 to leave ample Width of space between them for the accommodation of sheets of paper or the like to be contained therein when the copy holder is to be used as a receptacle. A ledge, as 18, is hinged at the forward end of plate 9, the ledge and .plate having the alternate hinge portions 19 connected by a pintleQO. As

thus hinged to the plate 9, the ledge 18 may be folded flat upon the upper surface of said plate, or may be swung outwardly at right angles thereto 1n the perstop to limit that movement. may be roughened, as with the corrugations formance of its function as a support for the lower edges of the copy sheets. The ledge 18 has rearwardly extending wings 21, and the plate 9 has inturned portions 22, said wings 21 and portions 22 being ar' ranged in coinciding pairs and meeting as the ledge is swung outwardly to form a The ledge S) 23, or otherwise, to afford a secure holding surface wherewlth to retain the lower edges of copy sheets thereon. When the bail is folded against the plate 9, it will, in the closing of the two hinged portions of the receptacle, lie at either end thereof with its arms intermediate the rows of lugs 17 and the adjacent walls 10 which latter are then nested in walls 2.

llt will be apparent from the foregoing description, that I provide a copy holder having an ample base to stand firmly on a supporting surface, and that the device is both compact and highly serviceable.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having now described my invention, lt claim:

1. A. copy holder comprising a base plate having upwardly extending walls and a plate with paper supporting means thereon having downwardly extending walls of smaller dimensions, a hinge connection between said plates at one end, a bail pivoted to the second mentioned plate, a series of forwardly directed lugs on the inside bottom of the base plate with which the bottom of the bail may engage in any adjusted position, the said lugs being arranged on each side of the bottom plate near the walls thereof thereby providing spaces between said lugs for storage purposes.

2. A copy holder comprising a base plate and a holder plate having paper supporting means thereon, a hinge connection between said plates at the ends thereof, the holder plate being provided with downwardly eX- tending walls and the base plates with upwardly extending walls of slightly larger dimensions whereby the holder plate may nest within the base plate, awire bail hinged to the holder plate near the middle thereof and formed atits free end to constitute the foot, of the said bail, the bottom of the base plate being provided with forwardly directed lugs struck up from said bottom, the foot of the bail being adapted to engage with said lugs to hold the upper plate in any desired angle.

3. A copy holder comprising a base plate and a holder plate, said holderplate having paper supporting means thereon and said plates having telescoping side walls, a hinge connection for said plates, a member hinged to the side walls of the holder plate and holder plate in various angular'adjusted po- I sitions upon said'base plate.

4. A copy holder comprising a base'plate formed of sheet. metal and perpendicular walls therefor, a holder plate formed of sheet metal and having perpendicular walls adapted to nest within the walls of the base plate whereby the two form a'receptacle, a hinge rod passing through the side walls of the base plate and of the holder plate near one end-thereof, the bottom of the base plate being provided on each side, near the side wall thereof with a row of forwardly. projecting lugs struck up from the metal of the bottom, a wire bail plvoted at its ends there-.

of to the side walls of the holder plate and its foot being wide enough to extend between the rows of struck up-lugs, the length of said bail being sufliciently small to enable it to be folded within the supporting plate, and a ledge pivoted to the supporting plate at one end thereof on its top whereby a folding support for holding copy is 'provided.

5. A copy holder comprising a base plate and a holder plate, the twobeing hinged togethern'ear one end thereof, the holder plate being plate with lugs with which saidbase plate engages, whereby the two are held in any adjusted position, and a ledge pivoted to the holder plate at or near its hinged end, said ledge provided with rearwardly extended Wings and said supporting plate with inturned portions adapted to be engaged by said wings whereby when said ledge is swung outwardly to form a support,- the said wings and intnrned portions forming a stop to limit the turning movement.

STEPHEN T. SMITH. Witnesses 1 p W. O. WESTPHAL,

JULIUS DUGKSTINE.

provided with a bail and the base 

